Silver Skulls
The Silver Skulls are a Codex Astartes-compliant Loyalist Chapter of Space Marines who are a Second Founding Successor Chapter of the Ultramarines. The Silver Skulls have earned a reputation for achieving victory for the Imperium of Man no matter the odds stacked against them. Of course, this reputation has been earned because the Silver Skulls will only take to the battlefield when the psychic portents that their specialist Librarians known as Prognosticators receive indicate that the outcome of the combat will be favourable for the Chapter. The silver Skulls' homeworld is Varsavia. Chapter History Although there is little information available on the Chapter in Imperial records, the Silver Skulls are said to be amongst the most renowned and honoured Chapters of the Second Founding's ranks. They have earned a reputation for victory, no matter the odds. The Silver Skulls rely upon their Librarians to keep up this reputation; the Chapter never deploys without consulting a Librarian's augury, and consider such utterances as the word of the Emperor Himself. This is because the Silver Skulls believe that the Emperor guides their purpose and they choose to take to the battlefield only when portents demand it. Such mercurial behaviour does not sit well with some Imperial commanders, but victory is seen as ample compensation by most of the Silver Skulls' allies. Their homeworld is shown in the first Space Marine Codex as Varsavia but they do not seem to solely recruit from there, if at all. Apothecary Malus' and Captain Sephera's testimony makes it clear thhat the Chapter also finds it Aspirants on a world called Garanda II, recruiting the feral tribesmen from that planet's Ash Wastes. The information provided also alludes to this as being only one of many recruitment planets used by the Silver Skulls. The Gildar Rift The Chapter’s home world of Varsavia hugged the outer rim of the Gildar Rift and in this far-flung, oft-neglected area of the Imperium they were the closest Adeptus Astartes response force. With the increasing, although still irregular raids threatening the region, Lord Commander Argentius had agreed the very real need for providing semi-permanent protection. Regular patrols were provided from the fleet, a rotating duty for those brothers who were not deployed on the field of battle elsewhere. Ever since the very first attempt at taking the spoils had been made, ever since piratical raiders had exploded into the Gildar system, the Silver Skulls had established their patrols across the Rift. From the moment they had responded to the first foray, any further such incursions that had been attempted had met with swift justice, delivered by a Chapter who were not known for their patience. Generally, the Silver Skulls delivered their judgement on transgressors with the minimum of preamble – and such judgement was invariably punctuated with a punishing and ultimately terminal salvo from a bombardment cannon. Relishing the challenges that maintaining peace in the sector offered, the Silver Skulls had long ago set themselves to the task of patrolling the Gildar Rift. Other Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes would rarely volunteer themselves for such a plain, inglorious duty. But the Silver Skulls considered the sector as part of their territory. And the Silver Skulls were proud. Over the years, the Silver Skulls and the infamous Chaos Space Marines of the Red Corsairs who dwelled within the permanent Warp rift known as the Maelstrom had shared many encounters. The Gildar Rift had seen incursions from the would-be raiders many times but each had been successfully thwarted. Notable Campaigns *'Charadon Campaign' (698.M41) - In 698.M41 the Chapter was part of a combined Space Marine force led by Chapter Master Marneus Calgar of the Ultramarines, consisting of elements of the Angels of Absolution, the Lamenters, the Marines Errant, the Silver Skulls and the Ultramarines. During a seven-year-long Imperial Crusade the force inflicted a series of major defeats on the Ork empire of Charadon which delayed the invasion of the Imperium by the WAAAGH! Argluk for thirty standard years. *'The Corinth Crusade' (698.M41-705.M41) - The Silver Skulls participated in the Crusade that fought under the command of the Ultramarines' Chapter Master Marneus Calgar alongside elements of the Ultramarines, the Angels of Absolution, the Lamenters, the Scythes of the Emperor, and the Marines Errant Chapters against the Ork WAAAGH! Skargor. *'The Great Malagantine Purge' (770.M38-791.M38) - As part of the Manus Irae (5 Astartes Chapters brought together, but only the Silver Skulls, Fire Hawks, and Charnel Guard are named) the Silver Skulls helped deliver the Emperor's wrath on the heretical Malagant Sector in the Segmentum Tempestus. This action remains a secret, even from the Inquisition, and has long been erased from Imperial history. *'Lazar System Blockade' (857.M41) - The Silver Skulls' Chapter fleet blockaded the Dead Worlds of the Lazar System for three years in 857.M41. Nothing got in or out, and no explanation for the blockade of this empty system was ever provided by the Silver Skulls. In truth, the Silver Skulls had been engaged in a campaign against the Necrons to purge them from the system's worlds in vengeance for the destruction wrought by the Necrons upon the Silver Skulls' 4th Company. Though the main Tomb World in the system was overwhelmed and obliterated by the Astartes, the Silver Skulls soon regretted their hasty assault, as secondary Necron bases throughout the Lazar System were awakened to life following the destruction of the Tomb World. Unable to admit defeat, the Silver Skulls chose to dig in, and what should have been a simple reciprocal assault transformed into a grueling military campaign involving the entire Chapter. *'Scouring of Ammas' (892.M40) - During the Scouring of Ammas, Space Marines of the Silver Skulls Chapter first encountered the daemonic warband known as "The Soulmaw." Their champion was apparently destroyed by the Librarian Lucius Clave. *'The Soulmaw Assault Aragave (954.M41)' - Having survived the horrors of the Black Night, the citizens of Aragave, a vassal world of the Silver Skulls, are further tormented by an unidentified daemonic warband. When the Silver Skulls Chapter responds to the distress call, the daemons quickly vanish. These entities were suspected to be the daemonic warband called "The Soulmaw." *'Soulmaw Assault on Varsavia (955.M41)' - With much of the Silver Skulls Chapter absent, the Soulmaw strikes against several worlds close to their homeworld of Varsavia. The Silver Skulls' Chapter Librarians suspect an attack on their homeworld is imminent. *'The Zeist Campaign' (997.M41) - The Silver Skulls heeded the call of Marneus Calgar, the Lord Macragge, and provided Tactical Marine Squads to fight for the liberation of Augura (a staging point for Tau forces invading Imperial territory in the Eastern Fringes of the galaxy) during the Zeist Campaign against the Tau Empire in 998.M41. *'The Third War for Armageddon' (998.M41) - The Silver Skulls participated in the Third War for Armageddon. The destroyed Hades Hive, badly damaged during the Second War for Armageddon was once again the scene of heavy fighting during this conflict. Space Marines from the Silver Skulls Chapter were engaged in fierce battles in an attempt to prevent the Orks from looting valuable metals from the shattered hive for use in the construction of their gargantuan war machines known as Gargants. The five companies of the Silver Skulls at Hades Hive had to fall back from Yarrick's Hope Harbour after a tanker full of Orks and explosives rammed the docks. However, the Silver Skulls struck back at the foul xenos, having shown exemplary skill in infiltrating one of the Ork Roks to the south-east of the hive, fighting their way into the core of the fortress and using the Orks' own teleporter arrays to send thermic charges into the orbiting Space Hulks previously providing the Orks with a continual stream of troops and warmachines. *'Beta-Garmon IV Expeditionary Force' (Unknown Date.M41) - The 7th Company of the Silver Skulls were deployed in support of the Expeditionary Force. *'The Gildar Rift' (Unknown Date.M41) - The Silver Skulls Chapter fleet encounters and destroys a Red Corsairs strike force comprising several ''Executor''-class Grand Cruisers. The surviving Renegades make planetfall on several planets in the Gildar System including the primary world in the system, Gildar Secundus, but the Silver Skulls are not to be thwarted so easily. In a matter of weeks, the Gildar System is declared free of the Red Corsairs' influence. Chapter Organisation Since Roboute Guilliman laid down the organisational dictates for the Space Marines in the Codex Astartes, it has become the presciption for the organisation and order of battle for almost every Space Marine Chapter for the last ten millennia. Being Scions of Guilliman, the Silver Skulls strive to emulate their forebears' example and do their Primarch proud. Though, like some Chapters within the Astartes, the Silver Skulls too have strayed from the precise structure laid out in the Codex. Yet the Chapter remains faithful to the spirit of the Codex's teachings. Their main deviation from its prescriptions is the inclusion of the specialist rank known as "Prognosticator" within their ranks. The Prognosticators are those Chapter Librarians who also serve as the Silver Skulls' spiritual advisers, kin to the Chaplains of other Chapters. These devout individuals not only provide spiritual guidance for their fellow Battle-Brothers but use their powerful psychic abilities to perform the sacred duty of reading the signs and portents, particularly the Imperial Tarot, to determine whether or not their Chapter's might is warranted in accordance with the Emperor's divine will. Prognosticatum Inspirational and powerful, this elite unit was formed of psychic battle-brothers whose prowess on the front line was second to none. Frequently, these were the psykers whose gifts tended away from the more esoteric divination and precognition that was so crucial to the functioning of the Chapter and leaned towards the more destructive in nature. Within the Silver Skulls Chapter no disputes that the Prognosticatum were the controlling force within the Silver Skulls. Comprised of the Prognosticators who were the Chaplain-Librarians who undertook a dual role and the Chaplains themselves, the Prognosticatum also boasted the elite Prognosticators. These were the Chapter champions; the heroes. They represented the very essence of the Silver Skulls. Each Prognosticator is different: some may be younger, cannier, more connected to the conduits of psychic prediction than their fellow battle-brother. Many have always known the limits of their own abilities. They may not be amongst the ranks of the Emperor’s most favoured. Some of these brothers’ abilities are considered adequate. Nothing more. But it serves their purposes well enough. A Prognosticator’s own perceived failings must never be revealed to any outside of the Prognosticatum. The entire Chapter looked to their psykers for guidance. If the fact that they did not all possess the greatest of skill became common knowledge, it would cause unrest. A Prognosticator's role, when assigned to a Company, was not only to advise the Captain, but was also to give proper spiritual guidance in accordance with his position as a Chaplain-Librarian. Not all companies within the Silver Skulls had their own Prognosticator; they were a rare breed indeed. Chaplains within the Chapter were no less valuable or less respected, but it was undeniable that the Prognosticators and the rest of the Prognosticatum steered the Chapter’s course. The most important decisions required by the Chapter were ultimately escalated to the Prognosticatum and the council is overseen by Vashiro, the Chief Prognosticator. Nothing involving a choice that directly affected the entire Chapter was ever settled without the rituals to cast the auguries. Within the Silver Skulls Chapter, those who represented the council of the Prognosticatum were revered second only to Lord Commander Argentius himself. The Silver Skulls Chapter are deeply superstitious and will never deploy into battle without first consulting the auguries. Combat Doctrine Silver Skulls Battle-Brothers tend to perform their daily exercises in the half-light of the training cages. The lighting in these areas are intentionally dull, their lumen-sconces embedded in the walls giving off little more than a perfunctory glow. It is a habit of the Silver Skulls to train at various levels of light. Such practice better preparing them for combat in any conditions and helping maintain their ability to control their enhanced eyesight. Chapter Beliefs A Chapter with a well-established reputation for victory, even in the face of overwhelming odds, the Silver Skulls never deploy for battle without consulting the portents. They rely on their Prognosticators for such auguries, and consider the prophecies that they deliver as the word of the Emperor. The Silver Skulls follow the precepts of the Varsavian Orthodoxy, a variation on the established creed of the Imperial Cult. The fortress-monastery of the Silver Skulls was itself located deep in the heart of Varsavia’s northern mountain range. It was a harsh, inhospitable place that only the most tenacious and hardy souls would brave. Most of the Chapter’s young aspirants and novitiates saw their first view of the fortress-monastery from the window of the transport that carried them there. A select few, though, had climbed their way to the top of the mountains alone. This was an impressive feat even for an Adeptus Astartes, let alone the handful of children who had made it. Before becoming a full-fledged Space Marine, a Silver Skull Neophyte must pass a ceremonial ritual known as the Fast of the Ascension -- a deliberation of the spirit. What this exactly entails is unclear to outsiders. The Neophyte must also undergo a final test of endurance known as the Long Patrol. Forming part of the final stage of a recruit’s initiation, the Long Patrol saw the aspirants sent out into the feral wilds of the Varsavian tundra with no more than a combat knife to defend themselves with. Those who survived remained with the Chapter and ascended to the ranks. Those who died were remembered with honour. Only those worthy enough to have reached the final stages of the process were permitted to walk the Long Patrol. It is considered better by far, than becoming a serf. Every recruit, alongside his rigorous physical training regime and hypno-doctrination sessions is required to divine their future path at some point with a Prognosticator. All of the Silver Skulls were required to undertake something of a pilgrimage prior to their final conversion and deployment into the Scout Company. The long, lonely trip to the far-flung Prognosticator Temple where individual auguries were cast had necessitated traveling in mountains that were not easy, by any means. This pilgrimage happens, traditionally, prior to the insertion of the progenoid gland. The most sacred of the implants, the Quintessence Sacred is considered the pinnacle of achievement. If successful, the Neophytes must then pass one final thorough medical examination by the Chapter's Apothecaries to be welcomed and initiated fully into the Chapter. Silver Skulls are known to use little to no ostentation, apart from the rich displays of the Company trophies that were located in their chapels. The Chapter was not aesthetically barren of course; they took great pride in their body art and the tattoo artists, the Custodes Cruor (Chapter Artisans), were regarded highly. Many of the Silver Skulls designed their own tattoos and a number of them were genuinely talented, gifted artists. The ancient Varsavian tradition of marking their bodies was considered the ultimate battle honour and every brother of the Silver Skulls Chapter wore designs that were completely unique to the individual. Some chose representations of great battles that were breathtaking in their detail. In all cases, the last part of a Silver Skull’s body to receive markings was his face. Only on ascension to the rank of captain were they allowed to receive that honour. The Silver Skulls are also known to perform a service for the dead in honour of their fallen brothers, during which are intoned the prayers for the dead with respect and reverence. This is known as the Varsavia Prayer to the Departed, a Silver Skulls tradition that had come to the Chapter from the long-dead shamans of Varsavia. The seemingly endless list of names recited from memory during the prayer are all battle-brothers with whom they have fought alongside. Just as some battle-brother carried the names of the fallen in Gothic, copperplate script on the canvas of their bodies, others carried the names of the honoured dead within their minds. When a battle-brother prays before going into battle they will speak their own personal litany, often in the tribal dialect of their birth. Such connections to their lives before ascension to the ranks of the Adeptus Astartes were actively encouraged. The Silver Skulls were proud of their heritage and those who heralded from the Chapter’s home world held onto the traditions and practices of their upbringing stoically. This Chapter also has a brutal reputation as headhunters, for Silver Skulls Astartes are known for wearing the decapitated heads and skulls of their enemies as trophies on their Power Armour. The reasons for this unusually barbaric custom remain unclear, though it was likely derived from the original customs of the Silver Skulls Astartes recruited as feral tribesmen from Garanda II. Within the darkened recesses of a Silver Skulls Chapel are kept a number of silver-coated skulls standing on plinths. Each is adorned with a plaque detailing the name of the battle-brother who had taken the trophy and the date of the victory. A Chapter tradition, collecting the skulls of mighty enemies was more than just ostentation and pride. It was considered a measure of a Company’s strength and honour. The Custodes Cruor, the Chapter’s artisans, extracted the skulls from their former owners and coated them in molten silver. Each one was an exquisitely-wrought work of art, covered in spirals and whorls. Tribal markings, sometimes matching the tattoos of the brother who had slain the fallen enemy were embossed on the surface, marking each trophy as the rightful property of that brother’s original tribe. Every skull was another mark of honour for the battle-brother who had taken it. Each one represented another vanquished foe. For every skull there was a singularly unique memory. From the massive skulls of an ork warbosses to the slender, elongated ones that still had part of its spine attached that had once belonged to a Genestealer. Every trophy came with its own story. When not deployed on manoeuvres, or during the long periods of space travel that carried them to their next battle, the Silver Skulls regularly gathered to tell the stories of their conquests. Those with a flair for the dramatic could hold their battle-brothers captivated, regardless of how many times the story had been told. Chapter Gene-Seed Unlike many Chapters, the Silver Skulls are ignorant as to the lines of their heritage. The name of their primogenitor, the Primarch whose genetic material had formed the pattern for their Chapter was unknown to them, the records lost many centuries before. Several centuries previously, the Apothecaries had performed countless genetic tests and suggested that the most likely line of heritage was that of the noble Ultramarines. But it mattered little. The simple fact was, they did exist and despite many great hardships, they thrived. Notable Silver Skulls *'Argentius (Lord Commander)' - Current Chapter Master of the Silver Skulls. *'Vashiro (Chief Prognosticator)' – The most important decisions required by the Chapter are ultimately escalated to the Prognosticatum and the council is overseen by Vashiro, the Chief Prognosticator. Nothing involving a choice that directly affects the entire Chapter is ever settled without the rituals to cast the auguries. *'Malus (Chief Apothecary)' - The highly respected and venerable Chief Apothecary of the Silver Skulls is known to take personal pride and interest in all those battle-brothers whom follow their own calling. *'Eddan Bourne (Captain)' - Captain of the 2nd Assault Company. *'Daerys Arrun (Captain) – '''Master of the Fleet and Commander of the Silver Skulls 4th Battle Company. Arrun would have become a Chaplain had he not demonstrated such aplomb and skill in the field of strategic planning. He always preferred to take responsibility for his company’s inner fires. The Silver Skulls had thus lost a great Chaplain, but had gained a frenetic, powerful warrior who had risen to become Master of the Fleet. Captain Arrun has been Master of the Fleet for several decades and possessed a quicksilver mind and the forward thinking ability of a true tactical genius. At any time he knew the status of every functioning ship in the fleet. His eidetic memory allowed him to bring to mind every flaw, every weakness and, conversely, every strength. He knew in seconds which ship was the most appropriate to deploy to any given situation when the requests for assistance were received. He had overseen operations in the Gildar Rift from the very beginning. Arrun possesses a closely shaved head which does nothing to hide the mass of scar tissue on his skull; something that on mere ‘mortal’ would be considered disfiguring, but which on a Space Marine could only be a mark of honour. His face was covered in swirling whorls of dark ink that all but obscured his flesh; the battle tattoos of the warriors that all commanding officers of the Chapter earned the right to. If his sheer breadth and height and forcible presence isn’t fearsome enough, the tribal-like brandings can easily do the job admirably. He also has cold piercing eyes that are ice-blue and just as cold. *'Sephera (Captain)' - Chief of Recruits for the Chapter. *'Sinopa (Captain)' - Sinopa is a long time friend of Captain Arrun of the 4th Company. He took over assigned duties as its commander of the battle-barge ''Manifest Destiny in Arrun's absense, as he oversaw the Resurgent Project aboard the strike cruiser Dread Argent. *'Brand (Chaplain/Librarian)' Brand serves as the Fourth Battle Company’s principal advisor. Though ageing; his long hair threaded through with silver and his tattooed face lined and wise, his acuity is as sharp as it ever has been. His not inconsiderable psychic abilities went a very long way towards ensuring that no secrets were ever kept from him. Brand had served alongside Daerys Arrun for a long time and the two had always been polar opposites. Where Arrun was spontaneous and rash, Brand had been consistently level and measured in his approach. For the most part, they complemented one another well. The basic differences in their personalities brought out the best in both of them. *'Chaereus (Chaplain/Librarian)' - Chaereus was the blood brother to Apothecary Ryarus of the 4th Company. He claimed the ability to read the auras of others. Long since taken to the halls of the ancients, the psyker had always maintained that Ryarus’s aura was that of a protector. *'Lucius Clave (Chaplain/Librarian)' - A Prognosticator of the Silver Skulls Chapter. When the Chapter first encounters the daemonic warband known as the Soulmaw, it is Clave who confronts the warband's champion and destroys him utterly. *'Deiad (Chaplain/Librarian)' - A Prognosticator of the Silver Skulls Chapter. *'Ikek (Chaplain/Librarian)' - A Prognosticator assigned to Captain Sinopa, aboard the battle-barge Manifest Destiny. *'Simeon (Chaplain/Librarian)' - A Prognosticator of the Silver Skulls Chapter who served with the 4th Battle Company, Squad Carnelian. He died on Gildar Secundus when their Thunderhawk was shot down by Red Corsairs sympathizers. *'Malus (Apothecary)' - When Inquisitor Thraxx came to Varsavia to investigate the purity of the the Silver Skulls gene-seed it was Apothecary Malus who showed the Inquisitor the Silver Skulls’ Apothacarion, and the massive reinforced door of that protected the Chapter's gene-seed storage. Thraxx was amazed by the level of protection the Chapter provided for its gene-seed and some people have suggested that, as a result, the Silver Skulls are obsessed with gene-seed purity. Yet the particulars of gene-seed storage in other Astartes Chapters are not generally known and so this belief concerning the Silver Skulls' obsession is just pure speculation. *'Naryn (Apothecary)' - Naryn is assigned to the 4th Battle Company. He took over the duties as Company Apothecary when Ryarus was captured by the Red Corsairs aboard the derelict Wolf of Fenris. He was known to have an impeccable record as both a warrior and an Apothecary. Like many of the Silver Skulls, Naryn favoured wearing his hair shoulder length. Unlike many of the Chapter though, his hair was a deep, burnished copper colour. It had always marked him out amongst the largely blond or dark-haired Silver Skulls and indicated his family heritage from one of the non-Varsavian recruiting worlds that they had begun to use. With that colouring, he was likely from the ash wastes of Garanda II. He had an expressive and intelligent face with large, inquisitive eyes and always exuded an air of great enthusiasm. *'Ryarus (Apothecary)' – Ryarus is assigned to the 4th Battle Company. He is a taciturn, stoic Apothecary, known only to speak when the situation warrants it. Ryarus was friends with Brother Correlan. He liked the younger warrior’s honesty and blunt nature and had taken Correlan under his wing in some respects. His cool, level-headedness was the perfect counterpoint to Correlan’s fire. For the better part of two hundred years, his role had always focused far more on reducing the suffering of mortally wounded brothers by sending them to the arms of the Emperor swiftly and cleanly. He recovered the Chapter’s legacy from the fallen so that future generations may strengthen their numbers. There was a need for emotional detachment of course, yet the loss of each of his battle-brothers cut him keenly. His own honour tattoos were simple and deeply reflective of the soul beneath the skin, listing the name of every Silver Skulls warrior whose Quintessence Sacred he had reclaimed with his reductor. They would not be forgotten, not by him. Ryarus was a blood brother to Prognosticator Chaereus, whom died in a most sorrowful and ignoble end, torn to shreds by rampaging orks, which fueled the Apothecary’s own battle rage. Ryarus had cut down dozens of the greenskin menace single-handedly before a near-fatal shot to the chest had incapacitated him. Even then, his fading fury had kept him struggling to bring his bolt pistol to bear on the xenos. It was only the fact that his body had battled him down into unconsciousness that he had stopped at all. Apothecary Malus himself had overseen his subordinate’s recovery, an honour which even now remained unsurpassed. He was greatly respected and admired amongst not only Fourth Company, but throughout the entire Chapter for his forthright nature and, of course, that legendary display of fearless tenacity against the Orks – a story that was told over and over again. *'Correlan (Techmarine)' – Correlan is a Techmarine assigned to the 4th Battle Company. A sullen, resistant battle-brother, Correlan is not known for his subtlety. In his life before his ascension to the ranks of the Adeptus Astartes, he had been one of the few Silver Skulls raised to adolescence amongst one of the semi-feral, aggressive tribes of the southern Varsavian steppes. Some habits and mannerisms took longer to overwrite than others and a tendency to fall prey to a hair trigger temper was one. In matters of the technological however, Correlan is an enthusiastic and energetic follower of the Omnissiah. As an aspirant, Correlan had demonstrated a remarkable talent with machines and an unerring ability to soothe troubled spirits. At times it was hard to believe that an individual in possession of such a fiery soul could demonstrate such patience with the stubborn servants of the Omnissiah. His training with the Adeptus Mechanicus on Mars had ended some five years previously and he had served under Captain Arrun for the entire time since his return. He worked hard and with great diligence and his prowess on the battlefield was executed with the same intensity that he delivered to everything. Correlan was in possession of an honest, open personality and his emotions were always writ large in an unscarred, boyish face. His humours were often unpredictable but his abilities were without question. He had a tendency to insubordination and bad moods that made him tricky to handle; a trait which the Master of the Forge had frequently lamented. He also had severely prosthetics from old war wounds, including an augmetic right eye and a synthetic hand. *'Volker Straub (Resurgent)' – Volker was considered the Silver Skulls greatest technological project and most radical advancement of their existence: a technological wonder the likes of which the Silver Skulls had never seen. He was the end product of a true marriage between man and machine. Volker Straub had been one of the most promising aspirants of his intake. Hugely charismatic and a gifted athlete, he was also a born leader. From the moment he had been brought from his tribe to the fortress-monastery on Varsavia, every soul his effervescent personality touched knew that his future would be bright. Here was a future Chapter hero in the making. He had undergone his earliest trials as champion of his group, never once defeated in hand-to-hand or blade training. He was bright, questioned everything and knew when to hold his tongue. It gave him great standing with his peers and more importantly with his elders. Every implantation during the conversion process had gone like a dream. Every last thing about Volker Straub had dazzled the Chapter from his earnest nature to his startling wit and intelligence. He had been Captain Sephera’s absolute favourite. The grizzled Chief of Recruits had written report after glowing report of recommendation and in advance of Volker’s placement with the Scouts of Tenth Company, he had personally suggested that Volker receive a command at the earliest possible date. He had even offered to put his full personal support behind such a recommendation. This aspirant was exceptional. Universally liked and with a capacity to think faster and with greater logic than many of his peers, he did not doubt that Volker Straub was destined for greatness. In all this, Volker never lost sight of who – or what – he was. He was an aspirant of the Silver Skulls Chapter. His loyalty was without question, both to his Chapter, his brothers-in-arms and to the Imperium. He was assigned to Sergeant Atellus in the Tenth Company and outperformed consistently. Every time the bar was raised, he met each new challenges with confidence and competence. Then, two days before he was scheduled to undergo the implantation of his progenoid gland, the Prognosticatum intervened. Every recruit, alongside his rigorous physical training regime and hypno-doctrination sessions was required to divine their future path at some point with a Prognosticator. This happened, traditionally, prior to the insertion of the progenoid gland. The most sacred of the implants, the Quintessence Sacred was the pinnacle of achievement. Volker had been on the edge of a bright future as a fully fledged battle-brother when the auguries had denied him the ultimate glory. Volker Straub was not to be given the progenoid gland that would allow him full ascension. It had been the most irrational thing the Apothecary had ever known be issued by them. Denied that which he so desperately craved, Volker had formally requested Vashiro’s permission to walk the Long Patrol anyway. Again, he was denied. Vashiro had explained to him that he was not to become a battle-brother for his destiny lay down a different path to the one trodden by so many warriors before him. He became a part of an audacious experiment known as the Resurgent Project. Inserted into a specially designed tank, his skin was studded at regular intervals with jack-ports, exactly as full battle-brothers themselves bore. These were the interfaces that granted a Space Marine the ability to connect to his power armour. But the boy in the tank had never been granted the Emperor’s Ward, what other Chapters knew as the black carapace, the membrane that coated a Space Marine’s bones and provided the valuable connection with their power armour. He should have been viewed as nothing more than a failure. Yet, to many within the Chapter, the boy was something else entirely, for he represented the Chapter’s future. *'Atellus (Sergeant)' - Atellus is a Sergeant assigned to the 10th Scout Company. He trained the Aspirant Volker Straub, knowing early on that he was destined for greatness within the annals of the Chapter's history. *'Baeus (Sergeant)' – Baeus is one of the Squad Sergeants assigned to the 4th Company. *'Dasan (Sergeant)' – Dasan is one of the young Squad Sergeants assigned to the 4th Company, Squad Mohave. Dasan was a reticent soul. Like many of the Silver Skulls, he had grown to young manhood amongst a nomadic tribe. Many of these tribes had their own traditions and customs. In Dasan’s tribe, unnecessary speaking before battle was considered borderline blasphemy. As such, he had a tendency towards being serious and silent, speaking only when necessary. It was the way of his people. *'Hakan (Sergeant)' – Hakan is one of the young Squad Sergeants assigned to the 4th Company. *'Matteus (Sergeant)' – Matteus is one of the young Squad Sergeants assigned to the 4th Company, Squad Kyanite. Matteus was considered by his fellow battle-brothers as being very loquacious. When he came of age he arrived at the fortress-monastery at Varsavia within a few years of Dasan. They had trained together and received their promotions almost simultaneously. There was an old rivalry between them, but it was not malicious. It was the sort of rivalry that was encouraged by their superiors. A never-ending urge to be better than your peers drove you to greater and greater feats of strength and courage. Matteus had a tendency to fill the silence between conversation with unnecessary observations or words of self-perceived wisdom. Not for the first time since he had become friends with the confident, outgoing Matteus, the Sergeant Dasan of Squad Mohave found himself irritated by the other. *'Porteus (Sergeant)' – Porteus is one of the Squad Sergeants assigned to the 4th Company, Squad Carnelian. *'Eryk (Battle-Brother)' – A battle-brother assigned to the 4th Company and Thunderhawk helmsman. *'Tayln (Battle-Brother)' – Talyn is assigned to the 4th Company, Squad Mohave under the command of Sergeant Dasan. As a promising Techmarine, he had not yet been despatched to Mars for his formal induction into the ways of the Mechanicus. As such, he had undergone his initial training at the hands of the existing Chapter Techmarines. *'Temerus (Battle-Brother)' – Termerus is assigned to the 4th Company, Squad Mohave under the command of Sergeant Dasan. Non-Astartes Personnel *'Berem (Pilot)' - Berem was an augmented human who had served Squad Carnelian as a Thunderhawk pilot for many years. *'Jeremiah (Navigator)' – Jeremiah is the chief Navigator of the strike cruiser, Dread Argent. The young man who guided the Dread Argent through the warp had been brought to the employ of the Silver Skulls by way of a hive-world where he had been running the streets, fighting for his own survival. Born into a family of the Navis Nobilite that had fallen far from grace, his parents had effectively sold him to the employ of the Imperium in an attempt to regain some sort of standing. They had sold him as a commodity and the insult to his person still smarted. *'Jordan Salvus (Serf)' - A Chapter Serf who loyally serves as the Lord of the Household (Quartermaster) for the Silver Skulls. *'Yanus (Bridge Officer)' - Yanus was Captain Arrun's bridge officer aboard the Dread Argent. When there was a need for a strong commanding presence amongst the bridge crew and Arrun could not fulfill that role, the officer had commanded several times in his lord's absence. The bridge crew liked and respected Yanus. The officer, a failed aspirant of many years past, had dedicated his life to gladly serving alongside the Silver Skulls in whatever capacity he could manage. He was every bit as fierce and loyal as one of the chosen. This had not gone unnoticed as was evidenced by the fact he could stand in command of an entire Adeptus Astartes strike cruiser. Yanus may have failed but through years of hard work and dedication, he had received his due reward. Chapter Appearance Chapter Colours The Power Armour of the Silver Skulls is silver (including trim) with black shoulder plates. The Apothecaries of the Silver Skulls have both shoulder plates painted white and have a black vertical stripe painted down the centre of their helmet. Chapter Badge The Chapter badge of the Silver Skulls is a silver, stylised skull mask, similar to the pre-Horus Heresy Legion badge of the Iron Warriors. Chapter Markings According to some sources, the Chapter denotes Company by the color of the squad badge. Other sources say that the heraldic colour is displayed as the shoulder plates' trim, with the 1st Company (the Veteran Company) using silver. Still, in other sources the right shoulder pauldrons are coloured in the Company colour. Whilst on their left shoulder is the emblem of their Chapter, a stylised skull cast in silver. Each squad’s emblem having eyes picked out in the gemstone that gives them their name. Chapter Fleet Only two of the Silver Skulls Strike Cruisers listed here, the others are all presently deployed elsewhere throughout the segmentum and beyond. Most of the other ships are still in the Rift. Most of these are Gladius-class Escorts, many crewed largely by Chapter serfs. The Silver Skulls' Chapter Fleet is confirmed to possess the following starships: *''Manifest Destiny'' - Battle Barge - This vessel, one of two battle-barges that the Silver Skulls boasted, was Captain Arrun's usual command. *''Dread Argent'' - Strike Cruiser - Assigned to the 4th Battle Company. *''Quicksilver'' - Strike Cruiser - Assigned to the 9th Company. Sources *''Codex: Armageddon'' (3rd Edition) *''Codex: Space Marines'' (3rd Edition) *''Codex: Space Marines'' (5th Edition), p. 49 *''Warhammer 40,000 Compendium'' (1st Edition) *''Codex: Dark Eldar'' (5th Edition), p. 14 *''Index Astartes I'' *''Imperial Armour Volume Two - Space Marines and Forces of the Inquisition'', p. 80 *''Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook'' (5th Edition) *''Codex: Necrons (5th Edition), p. 26 *''The Gildar Rift (Novel) by Sarah Cawkwell Category:S Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines